Michael Bentley

Michael Bentley, cherished husband of Peggy Moody, passed peacefully from this world on August 5, 2015, following a 3 year battle with cancer. Michael embraced life and lived it to its fullest. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him. Michael is survived by his loving wife, Peggy and best ever furry friend, Melo. He is also survived by his 2 brothers-in-law, Bob Moody and Curtis Moody and his close cousin Kurt Hoerig and wife Marcie in Jacksonville, FL. He also leaves behind 2 aunts and other cousins. Michael was preceded in death by his parents, Glenn and Pat Bentley, a World War II Veteran and his bride from Ireland. They made their home in Flint, Michigan, where Michael graduated from Beecher High School. His family relocated to Hillman, Michigan, where the family farm was located. Kurt, his cousin, was his best friend during all this time. After graduating, Michael attended Wayne State University, worked on an organic farm in Ohio and began his spiritual quest, following his master, Kirpal Singh. Eventually he ended up in Charlotte, North Carolina, where he continued his education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and got certified to teach science. He taught in the Mecklenburg School System for about 20 years, the majority of that time at Smith Jr. High. During that time, he became a proficient rock climber, hiker, and camper. He loved the outdoors. He also found his passion for the game of volleyball. He met his future wife, Peggy, while playing volleyball. They met in March, married in June 1986, and they became a well-known twosome on the volleyball court. He proposed to her on their first trip together, on top of a pyramid in Mexico. He also encouraged her to resume her teaching career, which she did. They returned to Peggy’s native Colorado in 1990, where they both found teaching positions. Michael started at Excelsior Youth Center, but then spent 20 years teaching in Adam’s 14 School District, at the middle school first and then moving to Adam’s City High School. He was an excellent teacher that kept the interest of his students with his passion for science and his students. He was a coach of volleyball, track and wrestling. He headed numerous science clubs. He was also a strong advocate for teachers, being a building representative for the teacher’s union. He returned to the University of Colorado at Denver to finish his Master’s of Arts Degree in Administration, Supervision, and Curriculum Development, in 2000. Michael and Peggy continued playing volleyball together in Denver, indoors and out. It was their passion! They also hiked and biked and spent a lot of time outdoors. Their summers were filled with trips to Central and South America. In 2011, they decided to add diving to their repertoire, and got certified to dive in Roatan, Honduras. They had future dives in Bonnaire, Little Caymen, and many times in Cozumel, Mexico. Michael was a person who saw life in a unique way. He loved to play and have fun and he simply enjoyed life. In January 2012, Peggy’s Mother passed away. They inherited her dog, Melo, who would become Michael’s best companion. Michael was diagnosed with cancer in July 2012. He decided to teach one more year. In June 2013, Michael and Peggy retired to spend as much time with each other as possible. After retiring, Michael told Peggy that they needed to find joy in every day. Each evening they talked about the day and how they had found joy. During that time, they took many dive trips and they purchased a Ford Escape, because Michael liked the name. They travelled around Colorado in the Escape, and Melo was always with them. Michael was such a brave person during his battle with cancer. He endured many treatments and kept a good face. He continued to bowl with his buddies every Wednesday night, even when he had to push himself just to leave the house. His team was great support for him. He formed a second bowling team with his 2 brothers-inlaw and Peggy, so they would continue to see each other after he passed. He built a white picket fence for Peggy because he thought she would feel safer in a house with a picket fence. In the last few months of his life, they took at trip to San Diego, to be close to the beach that he loved. His best friend/cousin Kurt and his wife spent 10 days in Denver with him, where the highlight was going on a Segway tour of Denver. When he received the news that his cancer had spread and there were no more treatments, he told Peggy that they needed to go to another tropical island and that every time he kissed her, he would kiss her 3 times, to make up for the time they would lose. He followed through on both. They spent a week in Turks and Caicos with his cousin Kurt and wife Marcie. Every time they kissed, which was often, they kissed in 3’s, right up until 2 days before he passed. June 21st was their 29th anniversary, and he planned a short trip to Tucson, AZ, after reading an article in the NY Times, so she would have that memory. Finally, in the middle of July, he wanted to spend time with his cousin, so they flew to Jacksonville and had one last trip and one last visit with his favorite people. When they returned, Michael was doing well, but was very tired. Finally, he lay down and slept for 3 days. Gratefully, he was in no pain. He slowly and ever so peacefully slept his way out of this world.